Mount for thin, fragile articles.



No. 764,273. PATENTED JULY 1904. W. D. 6u R. W. DENTON.

MOUNT FOR THIN, FRAGILE ARTICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 24, 1903.

N0 MODEL. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.#

UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

y PATENT OFFICE.

1WILLIAM DIXON DENTON AND ROBERT VINSFORD DENTON, OF VVELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOUNT FOR THIN, FRAGILE ARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,273, dated July 5, 1904.

Application iled December 24, 1903. Serial No. 186,441. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM DIXON DEN- ToN and ROBERT WINsFoRD DENToN, citizens of the United States, residing at Wellesley, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mounts for Thin, Fragile Articles, of which the following is a specification.

The method of mounting rare stamps, autographs, and manuscripts now most commonly practiced is that of aiiixingthe specimens, commonly by an adhesive, upon the leaves of albums or upon separate sheets. In this way they are exhibited for sale or study. The constant handling to which they are subjected frequently results in injury byV tearing, and very often the specimens become soiled and defaced. Furthermore, when so mounted the specimens cannot be readily held to the light and examined to determine the physical characteristics of the paper on which the printing or writing appears or the water-marks thereon, this test being often necessary to fix with certainty the authenticity and value of a stalnp or writing. Again, the removal of a specimen from a page or sheet to which it has been pasted often results in injury, and a rare stamp passing from one collection to another is not infrequently depreciated in value by mutilations inflicted in removing it from one collection and repasting it in another.

It is with the object of providing a mount in which the specimens will be firmly held without the necessity of pasting or otherwise fastening the specimen itself, in which the same may he readily examined for paper characteristics or water-marks, by the use of which soiling of the specimens by repeated handlings is avoided, from which the stamp or specimen may be quickly and easily removed without danger of mutilation, and which is attractive in appearance and of cheap construction, that we have devised the mount which will now be described in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings for a more complete understanding of the invention.

In the said drawings, in which the same parts in the different views are referred to by the same reference characters, Figure l is a perspective view of a mount constructed in accordance with our Invention. Fig. 2 Isa sectional view on line 2 2 of Flg. l. Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the parts of the mount shown in Fig. l separated. Fig. a is a plan view of a mount designed to hold a block of stamps. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a slightly-different type of mount from that shown in Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a mount similar to that shown in Fig. 5, but with a different arrangement of spacing members. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of `a mount having a backing-plate of opaque material.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. l, 2, and 3, l l denote rectangular plates of glass, although it will be understood that the plates may be of other shapes and of any suitable transparent material, the shape and material specified being merely one embodiment of our invention. Said plates l l form the front and back of the mount andare spaced apart slightly by means of spacing members 2 of any suitable material, such as` thin pieces of pasteboard, said spacing members being shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, as in the form of blocks, which are preferably, though not necessarily, placed at the corners of the plates 1 '1 in interposed relation to said plates, said spacing members serving also as binding means to hold the plates together by means of a strong adhesive with which said spacing members 2 are coated. The space between the plates l 1 is slight, being little more than the thickness of the stamp orspecimen to be mounted, (see Fig. 2, in which the specimen is indicated at 3,) so that when the specimen is slipped between the plates it cannot be readily dislodged, but will, owing to its frictional contact with said plates, remain in place in the mount. Vhen it is desired, however, to remove the stamp or specimen 3 from the mount, this may be readily done by thrusting a thin blade or strip of suitable material between the plates l l and pushing the specimen 3 out at the other side of the mount.

The stamp-mount shown in Fig. 4.- illustrates theadvantages of the mount for holding and displaying blocks of stamps. It is a custom of dealers and collectors to collect stamps in blocks of four, as indicated at 4f, Fig. 4f, and tearing or separation of these blocks along the perforated lines of separation lessens to some extent their value for trade purposes.

. It will be seen that by the use of the present mount these blocks of stamps 4 may be preserved intact and danger of breakage or separation from careless handling entirely removed.

It is sometimes desirable to close one or more of the edges of the mount to guard against the ingress of dust or the possible slipping out of the specimen at one of the open edges of the mount, and in the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 two edges of the mount are closed by utilizing a strip 5 as a spacing member instead of the corner-blocks shown in Fig. 1. between the edges ofthe mount at either end, as shown in Fig. 5, thus closing the spaces between the edges on two sides of the mount, and the specimen may bc inserted and removed through the open sides of the mount in the manner described in connection with Fig. l.

In Fig. 6 is shown a mount in which three edges of the mount are closed by spacing strips or members 6, so as to leave only one open edge through which the specimen may be inserted and removed, its removal being accomplished in this form of mount by jarring the stamp out through the open end.

In the form of mount in which the stripspacing members are used an ornamental and pleasing effect may be produced by using gilded or colored strips, which when interposed between the plates at the edges of the mount give a framed or border-like effect to the mount which enhances its appearance.

It will be understood, of course, that for permanent collections, in which the likelihood of removal of the stamps from the mounts is remote, all of the edges of the mount could be closed by strip-spacing members and an absolutely dust-proof and attractive mount provided.

In Fig. 7 we have shown a type of mount in which one of the plates 7 is of opaque material, the plates being spaced apart by block or strip spacing members, as may be desired. This mount, while it precludes inspection of the specimen from the back or by reading through it when the mount is held to the light, nevertheless furnishes a cheap and satisfactory form of mount for some purposes.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the mount which we have invented is cheap, artistic, effectively guards the specimens from injury by careless or repeated handling, permits careful and minute scrutiny of the specimens, and which admits of the ready insertion and removal of the same. It will be seen also that the mount in which the edges are rlhe said strip 5 is pasted left open may be readily cleaned if dust or dirt accumulates on the inner faces of the plates by simply roving a cleaning thread or wisp through the open sides of the mount between the plates and wiping off the inner faces thereof.

While we have shown the mount in connection with stamps, for the preservation of which it is primarily designed, it will be understood that it may be used Jfor mounting larger objects of thin and fragile character such as old manuscripts, parchments, and autographs-by simply increasing the proportions to the necessities of the work, and we do not, therefore, limit ourselves to anything shown and described, except so far as we are limited by the terms of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention- 1. A mount for thin, fragile specimens (as stamps), composed of two plates, one at least of which is transparent, secured together so as to leave a slight space between them and having at least one open edge; whereby the specimens may bc readily inserted in and withdrawn from the mount, and held therein by frictional contact.

2. A mount for thin, fragile specimens (as stamps), composed of two plates, one atleast of which is transparent, secured together and having interposed spacing members so as to leave a slight space between them, said spacing members being so arranged as to give to the mount at least one open edge; whereby the specimens may be readily inserted in and withdrawn from the mount, and held therein by frictional contact.

3. A mount for thin, fragile specimens (as stamps), composed of two transparent plates: and spacing members to space said plates apart slightly, said spacing members being secured in place by a suitable adhesive and serving to bind said transparent plates together; whereby a mount having at least one open edge to permit insertion and withdrawal of the specimen is provided, and one within which the specimens are retained by frictional contact. v

4. A rnount for thin, fragile articles (as stamps), composed of two plates, one at least of which is transparent; and narrow spacingstrips interposed and secured by means of a suitable adhesive between a plurality of the edges of said plates to space the plates apart slightly, close such edges, and produce a border-like effect.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM DIXON DENTON. ROBERT VINSFORD DENTON.

Vitnesses:

HANNA S. VISWALL, IDA C. GoNARD.

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